AG says Manchester man justified in shooting home invader

MANCHESTER – The death of Michael Larocque Jr. of Derry, shot by a Lake Avenue resident during a home invasion, was a justified use of deadly force, according to an investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General and Manchester police.

Ian Peters, 38, shot the unarmed 24-year-old man after he and a second unidentified man kicked in the door to Peters' 430 Lake Ave. apartment about 2:40 a.m. on Saturday, June 9. Larocque was shot in the arm and abdomen and died at the scene.

A four-page summary of an investigation into the shooting says Larocque and the other man went to the Lake Avenue apartment with the intent of harming Peters, who was at home with his fiancee and her three-year-old son.

It was reasonable for Peters to conclude that Larocque and the other man who forced their way into his apartment "were likely to use any unlawful force against Peters, his fiancee, or her child, during the commission of a burglary or some other felony. Therefore, Ian Peters' subsequent use of deadly force was legally justified," under state law, according to the investigation.

Police said the investigation into the home invasion itself is continuing in an attempt to hold the other home invader and any other participants accountable for their actions.

Around midnight, the fiancee, who authorities did not identify, received text messages from someone she knew. The messages turned confrontational and threatening. The couple was in bed when, about two hours later, they heard footsteps on the porch outside their bedroom.

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